XL635
SERIES 250 - VARIANT 253 /
C mark 1
Constructors No. 13397 -
Production No. 001
Built at Belfast - First
flight 29.12.59 C of A: Not known
|
Built to contract 12829. Suffering
from corrosion of the underside and wings caused
by salt spray whilst at Queens Island, Belfast,
XL635 was not delivered until a protective
covering was developed to seal the damaged
skinning. She was retained at Belfast until
January 1960, although spending some time at A
& AEE Boscombe Down for pre-service trials.
Finally delivered to Royal Air Force Transport
Command No. 99 Squadron on 30 January 1960, she
was named 'Bellatrix' and operated with the
Britannia pool at RAF Lyneham from 22 December
1960. In January 1970 the two Britannia squadrons
were transferred to RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire,
and all the Royal Air Force's Britannia aircraft
were operated from there, within 99 and 511
Squadrons.
She was withdrawn from service and
ferried to RAF St Athan for storage and re-sale
on 9 June 1975. Purchased by Young Cargo on 5
September 1975, XL635 was flown to Stansted
Airport and registered OO-YCA on 11th September
1975. She was painted in full livery and flown to
Gosselies, Belgium in October 1975, returning to
Stansted in 1977. Withdrawn from use, her engines
used for spares, 00-YCA was finally broken up and
scrapped in July 1977 after a career of 20 268.20
flying hours and 6859 landings.
|